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Rick Witsken

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Rick Witsken (born January 1972) is a former American tennis player and pickleball player,[1][2][3] tennis coach,[4][5] and entrepreneur.[6][7] He is the founder of Team Witsken and[6][8][9] co-founder of the National Pickleball League (NPL).

Education

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He was a State Champion in Carmel High School[10] in 1987 and 1988.[6][11] Witsken pursued a bachelor's degree in Sports Management and Marketing from the University of Alabama.[12] At the University of Alabama, he was an NCAA tennis player and a two-time All-American.[13][6][14][15]

Career

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Witsken began his post-playing career working with his brother, Todd Witsken, at the Indianapolis Tennis Center.[5] He was the director of tennis at Woodstock Country Club.[6][16] He coaches Zionsville Eagle Rec and is the head coach of the Zionsville girls and Carmel boys and girls middle school teams.[6][1][4]

After his brother died in 1998, Witsken formulated Team Witsken Tennis in 2001.[13] It is an organization that provides professional instruction to tennis and pickleball players in Indianapolis.[6][1][9] In 2010, Witsken represented the US in the Tony Trabert Cup in New Zealand. In 2011, he and Matt Schiller defeated Matt Allare and Steve Williams 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in the men's open final of the Bernard Master Tennis Classic.[14][15]

In 2021, he organized a 2-day match at Brickway Tennis and Pickleball Club.[17] In 2014, Witsken started competing in pickleball tournaments professionally.[17][18][12] Witsken founded the first public educational middle school pickleball team at Zionsville Middle School.[18][12][19]

Witsken and his wife, Bridget Witsken, lobbied to bring a pickleball tournament to Indianapolis and secured the Indianapolis Pickleball Open, an Association of Pickleball Players tournament.[20][5][17]

In 2020, Witsken brought the first-ever pro pickleball tournament, the Indy Open, to Zionsville.[4][21] In December 2022, he established NPL with Beth Bellamy. www.USA-NPL.com[22] In 2022, Witsken hosted the Pickleball tournament, the APP $35k Indianapolis Open, at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Indiana, sponsored by Arnold Meyer Realty.[23][24][12] In January 2023, Nike Pickleball Camps, a division of US Sports Camps, teamed up with Witsken to offer multiple camp sessions at different locations in the US.[16][18]

Accomplishments

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Witsken is a two-time IHSAA State Singles Champion[12] and Indiana State Champion.[14][6][25] He received four gold medals at the US Open Pickleball Championships.[8][7][1][26][27][28] In 2019, Witsken won gold in Men's Open Doubles at International Indoor Pickleball Championship.[29] He earned gold in Pro Men's Doubles in Atlanta, Georgia[30] and at the Association of Pickleball Professionals Sacramento Open in 2022.[31]

He was world-ranked on the ATP Tour in both singles and doubles.[6][8][11] Witsken is ranked #1 on the APP Senior Pro Men's Standings[18] and Pickleball Professional in America for Pro-Seniors.[4][19]

Personal life

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Witsken lives with his wife and three children in Zionsville, Indiana.[4][14][28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Ryan (2021-05-27). "Rick Witsken: Earning His Medals". Towne Post Network - Local Business Directory. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  2. ^ admin (2022-05-31). "APP Tour New York City Open – 5 Takeaways – Koooooop". NML Pickleball. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  3. ^ "Tide Tennis Throwback". University of Alabama Athletics. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e Reporter, Melissa Gibson The Lebanon (2022-10-05). "Pickleball pro". Reporter.net. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  5. ^ a b c "Fans and athletes flock to region for first ever Indianapolis Pickleball Open". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Bio – Rick Witsken - Suncoast Pickleball Association". suncoastpickleball.com. 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  7. ^ a b "Rick Witsken". Paddletek Pickleball. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  8. ^ a b c "Day 3 Notebook: Pickleball Action Is Heating Up".
  9. ^ a b Dow, Julie (2017-07-04). "Team Witsken: Building better futures with tennis". WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  10. ^ "Pickleball's popularity explodes in Indiana, across the country". wthr.com. September 28, 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  11. ^ a b "Doyel: Tennis in Indy has a great past, but murky future". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Witsken's week includes U.S. Open, match against Brees • Current Publishing". 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  13. ^ a b "All-time great high school teams: Boys tennis - North Central 1988". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  14. ^ a b c d "Witsken, Schiller defeat OSU duo in open final". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  15. ^ a b "Witsken, Schiller defeat OSU duo in open final". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  16. ^ a b "Nike Pickleball Camps Announces Partnership With APP #1 Senior, Rick Witsken". PRWeb. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  17. ^ a b c Hanley, Kit (2021-12-12). "The fastest growing sport in America -- Pickleball makes its way to Terre Haute". WTHI-TV. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  18. ^ a b c d "Coach Profile | Camp Director - Rick Witsken".
  19. ^ a b "Meet The Pros - Rick Witsken". PickleballCentral.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  20. ^ "Inaugural pickleball tournament coming to Zionsville • Current Publishing". 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  21. ^ "Pioneers of pickleball in Indianapolis continue to see growth in the sport". wthr.com. July 12, 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  22. ^ Boss, Todd. "Pickleball's Alphabet Soup: A Guide To All The Acronyms In The Sport". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  23. ^ "Jillian and Ryan learn how to play Pickleball from a pro". Fox 59. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  24. ^ "APP $35K Indianapolis Open hosted by Rick Witsken Sponsored by Arnold Meyer Realty". www.pickleballtournaments.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  25. ^ "Current Senior Pro Pickleball Rankings (as of November 5, 2021)". Pickleball University. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  26. ^ "Fans and athletes flock to region for first ever Indianapolis Pickleball Open". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  27. ^ by (2021-08-20). "Sr Pro Men's Doubles GOLD - 2021 US Open - Moore/Witsken vs Morariu/Granot, Pickleball Channel, on August 20, 2021 at 7:00 am - ExpertPickleball.com". expertpickleball.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  28. ^ a b "See photos of professional, amateur pickleballers battling in Zionsville". www.indystar.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  29. ^ "Locally: Tyson McGuffin takes home two medals at International Indoor Pickleball Championship | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  30. ^ "Pickleball Tournament Coming to Johnson Ranch Pickleball Complex". Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  31. ^ "Johnson Ranch plays home to Northern California's first professional pickleball tournament". goldcountrymedia.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
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